• by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, April 24, 2018

Amazon just one-upped retailers’ online order with in-store pickup systems.

The mega-online retailer just introduced an extension of its Amazon Key service from home deliveries with keyless guest access to deliveries to inside a customer’s parked car.

The delivery service is free to Prime members, of which there are more than 100 million at last count.

For the Amazon Key In-Car service, a car has to be parked at a publicly accessible area, likely at home or a workplace. Amazon already tested the service with a group of customers and created a video of them sharing positive aspects of their experiences.

This is yet another example of a practical use of connected cars. A customer just has to have the Amazon Key mobile app linked to their Amazon account and own a connected car, at the moment a 2015 or newer one from General Motors or Volvo.

The car companies have an incentive for the keyless entry, since to use the Amazon car delivery service, the car owner has to have an active OnStar or Volvo On Call account, both of which have a higher annual fee than Amazon Prime. Both services already provide the capability to remotely unlock a car door.

When a driver arrives at a vehicle to deliver a package, Amazon verifies that the driver is at the right location with the right package, and then unlocks the car. After delivery, the car is relocked and the customer receives a notification via the Amazon Key app.

Volvo launched an in-car delivery service in Sweden and Switzerland some time ago, with numerous merchants authorized to deliver products to the trunks of Volvos, with Volvo providing the remote access.

The Amazon in-car delivery service launched in 37 cities with more on the way, along with more connected car models.

Amazon delivery personnel can gain access to homes and cars for requested product deliveries, but the drivers don’t get the codes or the keys.

The connected car is now also a portable storage locker.